FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: The Trinity of First Place

Most of us, at one time or another, have experienced loss of hope, bitterness or deeply hurt by putting our trust in someone who let us down. These things happen to us because we don't have our priorities set in the right order. All we have to do is look at our example, Jesus Christ, and see how He prioritized His life. We find there is a Trinity, or three things that must be in first place in order for us live life to the fullest and abundantly. ~Walker

Put Trust in God first. “Jesus did not commit Himself to them.....for He knew what was in man” (John 2:24-25). It's not that Jesus didn't Trust people, He just Trusted in God FIRST. That is why He never became bitter, suspicious, or lost hope in anyone. He trusted absolutely in what God's grace could do for mankind. If we put our trust first in other people instead of God, we are expecting them to be absolutely perfect and right all the time. This is a wrong priority and will put us on the road to bitterness. We should never put our Trust in ourselves or in anyone else first; We should put our Trust in nothing except the grace of God.

Put God's Will first. “Behold, I have come to do your Will, O God” (Hebrews 10:9). As humans, we tend to be obedient to what WE see as a need. Jesus was obedient to only one thing, and that was the Will of His Father. We run around crying out, “We better get busy!! There are people in our community dying without knowing God. We must go tell them about Him!!”. But before we can meet the “needs” of others, we must meet the “needs” of God and His Will in our own life first. Jesus said, “....tarry.....until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). We must wait until we have the right relationship to the “needs” of God and His Will in our personal life before we can help others. When God's “needs” (a Loving Relationship with Him) have been met in us, then He will open the door for us to accomplish His Will and His “needs” in others.

Put God's Son first. “Whosoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me” (Matthew 18:5). God came as a baby, giving and entrusting Himself to all of mankind. Are we His “Bethlehem”? Are we allowing His Spirit to come into our personal life the way He expects? Then , and only then, can we allow our natural life to be slowly transformed by the indwelling life of the Son of God. ~Oswald Chambers

We must always remember that God's ultimate purpose is that His Son may be seen and exhibited in all of us. My prayer for you today is that you will get your priorities straight: Put your Trust in God First; Put God's Will first; Put God's Son first. All other things in your life will fall into place much better if you remember the Trinity of first place. Have a blessed day. ~Walker

FROM THE PASTOR'S PROCH: Consider the lilies...

Consider the lilies of the field, how they GROW: they neither toil nor spin”-they simply ARE!! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and moon-all of these simply ARE as well-yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf!! So often we impair God's designed influence, which he desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38) ~Oswald Chambers
The people that influence and touch the lives of other people are not the ones that are continually trying to pin us down with their talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “lilies of the field”- simply and unaffected. These are the people who mold and shape us because they have something we want.
If we really want to be of use to God, we must maintain our relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on HIM. Jesus is the one doing the work in and through us, and He will make use of us every minute we are alive. What is truly amazing about this process is that we are many times not even aware on a conscious level of how many people we influence!!
I once was the music minister at a small church in Oklahoma city. All the time Casey and I were there, there was one particular man that came to that church with his family who never seemed to smile, he had never spoken a word to me the whole time we ministered at that church. The last service we were there, that man walked up to me after church with his little three year old daughter in his arms. Tears were streaming down his face as he told me his little girl wanted to say good-bye to me. She told me good-bye and that she Loved me. Then this man looked at me and told me how much Casey and I had been a blessing to him and his family and how much we had influenced their lives. Now this was the first time this man had ever said anything to me, and I didn't even know that he ever even paid attention to anything we had ever done or said!!
If you really want to be used by God, you must maintain a right relationship with Jesus Christ, and you do that by staying focused on Him. When you are focused on Him, He will make use of you every minute and every hour of your life. When we live like this, someday someone will walk the isle up to some preacher and turn to point at you and say with tears running down their face, “I want what He's got!!” Have a peaceful and blessed day. ~Pastor Lynn

 FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Are you listening?

Like all Pastors, as I preach my heart out from the pulpit, I am always wondering how many people are really listening to the message. More importantly, I wonder how many people are really listening to the Lord. It is extremely important for people to listen to the Holy Spirit because the Bible says “...the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” (1 Corinthians 12:7) Notice who profits from a person listening to the Holy Spirit. Not just the person themselves profit, but “withal”; in other words, the whole church profits as well. Why then, are there so many folks who seem to not be listening to the Spirit.
Well, one reason a person doesn't listen to the Spirit is because maybe they don't have the Spirit inside them. It is sad but true, there are many reprobate or “play-like” Christians out there that carry Bibles and go to Church, but they have never really surrendered their life and truly accepted Jesus as their personal Savior. They may appear to be Christians and they may even act “religious”, but a true Love Relationship with the Lord is not there. You cannot listen to the Holy Spirit if He is not present in your life.
Then there are those that are truly saved, but they have wondered out of fellowship with the Lord. They have wondered into areas where they should not go or they have just become lazy and they have entered into a time of being unable to hear the Holy Spirit or they are just plain not listening. This is a very dangerous situation for a believer. These are the folks who have sin in their life or have allowed themselves to become hurt or bitter about some situation in their life.
And then some folks just plain choose to be disobedient. These are the folks who hear the Holy Spirit, but because they are self-centered, they follow their own desires instead of the desires of God. This is where Pride raises it's ugly head and people decide they know better than God what needs to be done. This may be the worst situation of all because these folks are headed for a big fall and they many times they hurt the Church in the process.
So where do you stand today? Are you listening to the Holy Spirit? Are you profiting not only yourself but your Church as well? Are you reading God's Word, Praying, going to Church, even allowing God to speak to you through your circumstances? 2 Peter 1:5 tells us that we must ADD to our Faith. The word “ADD” means that we have to take action and DO SOMETHING!! Please don't make the mistake of “doing” based on your own understanding. In order to “add” or “do” the right thing that is good for all concerned, you must hear and obey the Holy Spirit. I pray that the Good Lord will richly bless you with His Spirit, and may you richly bless yourself and those around you by listening and being obedient. Get up Sunday morning and go to one of the many great Churches in this blessed community and GIVE HIM PRAISE!!! ~Walker

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Where do you belong?

The Good Lord has designed and engineered people to have a longing to belong. Just look at all the clubs, organizations, teams, and groups that we belong to. I remember starting to school at Cement, Oklahoma and I spent twelve years with my class. That class that graduated in 1968 was my class and I belonged to it. I had a Sunday School class that I belonged to. I had the Boy Scouts that I belonged to. I had baseball and basketball teams that I belonged to. I belonged to the FFA and Beta Club in high school. I belonged to the National Fraternity of Student Musicians. The list just goes on and on because it's just a natural tendency that we all have. We all want to belong to something.

Why did God build the need to belong into our character? If we look at the animal kingdom, we see that many of them have the desire to belong as well. For animals, it is not just a social thing. They run in packs, herds, and flocks because there is safety in numbers. Maybe that's the key for us as well. When we are members of a tribe or nation there is safety in numbers from animals and other groups of people, but I think there is something much more to belonging than just the benefits we see in the physical world.

“In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member BELONGS to ALL the others” (Romans 12:5). This scripture clearly shows us that we not only are designed to belong to Him, but also we are to belong to each other. Paul is writing here to tell us what church is really all about. Christ is the head of the church and we as believers make up the body of Christ. If you are “in Christ”, a believer, then you really don't have the options to belong or not to belong to the body of Christ. In other words, there ain't no Lone Ranger Christians!

I know that some of you are reading this and going over all the excuses why you don't attend and belong to a church. Well you can stop that right now and quit trying to make God out to be a liar. God says that YOU are a member of HIS Body and that makes you belong to him and it also makes you belong to all the other members. That belonging to all the other members is what gets us. We get self-centered about it and think we can have a Relationship with God without having a Relationship with others. I'm sorry about that, but that's just not the way God planned it.

Please read Romans 12:5 again. Especially the part that says, “EACH MEMBER BELONGS TO ALL THE OTHERS”. Now make yourself a promise that you are going to get up Sunday morning and go to church somewhere. There are many, many good churches in this community and I'm sure you can find one that suits you. My prayer for you today is that you will never forget who you belong to and that you will be obedient to God's Word. If you don't have a home church, please visit us here at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH. ~Walker

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Daddy is always working!!
One of the things I remember most about my Daddy was that he was always working. When I was very little, I remember he worked in the oil patch and then came home and worked around our eighty-acre home place. Seems like he was always fixing fence or taking care of cattle or gathering eggs, or something; always working.
Then he built that little gas station 3 ½ miles east of Cement right next to our house back in the early 50's. Those of you who traveled Hwy 277 between Chickasha and Cement in the 50's, 60's, and 70's on any day of the week would always see my Daddy in his solid blue or striped overalls and khaki shirt pumping gas seven days a week. He worked all the time. The only time he closed that station was for a funeral, and that had to be a very close relative....that he liked.
Some folks used to worry about my Daddy getting robbed, off out there in the country, but most people knew better than to mess with Louis Walker. Daddy didn't have a cash register; he carried his wallet and his change in his front pocket to make change for the customers. But if you looked real close you could also see the butt of his old S&W .38 chief special sticking out of the pliers pocket of those old overalls. My Daddy worked hard to make a living for his family and he was able and more than willing to protect what he worked hard to make. I am thankful that Momma finally got him to close up on Sundays and go to church with her in his later years. My Daddy passed away in April of 1986, and I'm pretty sure when he got to Heaven one of the first things he probably did was ask the Lord, “Have ya got anything you need me to do?”.
Funny thing about it is, God probably put him to work doing something!! Some folks think when we get to Heaven we will just lay around on a cloud and play a harp or something. My Daddy wasn't much of a harp player. I'm not sure what all is going on in Heaven, because I haven't been there yet, but I do know that Jesus said the same thing about His Daddy that I've said about my earthly Daddy. Jesus said that His Father was always working and that He was working as well.

My earthly Father worked hard to make a living for his family, but why does our Heavenly Father work all the time? Have you ever thought about how much work it takes to make Romans 8:28 a reality?? “ALL things work for good for those who Love the Lord and are called according to his purpose...” The sin of mankind in this old fallen world is what keeps our Heavenly Father working so hard to make it all work out for good in the end. Why does God even care about things working out for our good? Same reason my Daddy worked so hard to make a living- He Loves us. Please get the Revelation today of just how much God Loves you and then be thankful for it. You can cast your burdens on the Lord and seek His Peace in your life today because HE LOVES YOU..... Daddy is ALWAYS working and He will protect what He has worked for. I would like to stay and visit with you awhile, but I've  got to go to work. Blessings, ~Walker

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Blessed are the Pure in Heart

 Last Sunday morning I woke up still tired and not feeling very well. My old back was hurting and I just wanted to go back to bed. But as the Pastor of COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH, I thought it best that I shake it off and get my self around and get ready for Church. When I get like that is when I really, really need to Worship the Lord. There is something about Praising God and being Thankful that always Lifts me up and Strengthens me. “There are things that happen in the presence of God that do not happen anywhere else.” ~Michael Blankenship. So I took me a good blistering hot shower and started getting ready for Church. Now we all have a vision of how we want to look, right? So next, I pick out my favorite red shirt, a fresh pair of starched jeans, put on my new boots, and my black hat and now I'm ready to head to Church.

I'm looking pretty snazzy as far as my outward appearance for right now, but I have a problem. You see I'm one of those people that if I eat or drink or work or do anything, I'm gonna get some of it on me. Sure enough, when I get to church and start greeting folks, one of the ladies say, “Preacher, what's that white stuff on the front of your pretty red shirt??” OH, NO....TOOTH PASTE!!! So I run to the restroom for a wet towel to remove the spot that has ruined the Purity of my personal vision of how I should look to other people.

This is an example of having a vision of physical Purity about our outer being and how we look to others, but what is really important is our Spiritual Purity and how we look to God. Now Purity is not innocence; it is much more than that. “Purity is the result of a continual Spiritual harmony with God.” ~Oswald Chambers. Thank God that our “inner” Purity is taken care of when God makes us Pure by an act of His sovereign Grace, and no one can touch that. But we have to grow in our “outer” Purity with God. Our life with God may be in right standing and our inner Purity unblemished, but every once in a while our outer life can get spotted or stained; we get a little tooth paste splattered on us now and again!! God intentionally doesn't protect us from this possibility because this is the way we recognize the need to maintain our spiritual vision through personal purity. If the “outer” level of our spiritual life with God is impaired or stained in any way, we must drop everything we are doing and immediately clean it up and make it right!! We must always remember that our Spiritual Vision depends on our character. You see we don't have to worry about God seeing us. God sees us no matter what condition we are in; clean or dirty. What we must be concerned with is are we going to see God?? The moral to the story is: stay clean the best you can, but if you do get a little something in your life that doesn't belong there, clean it up!! We must always remember Matthew 5:8 and that it is “the pure in heart” who will “see God”. And next Sunday, I'm gonna try to remember to brush my teeth BEFORE I put my shirt on!! ~Walker

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: How important is Obedience??

 The summer of 2004 was a very hard time for me and my wife, Casey. I had quit my job in OKC and we moved down to Chickasha to be close to our daughter. She was was very ill and in the third stage of lymphoma cancer plus pregnant on top of all of that. Casey and I were broke and homeless so we moved in with Casey's mother at Ninnekah. We had an old minivan that was pretty much on it's last legs and no money for gas anyway. If it had only cost a nickle to ride the Queen Mary, all we could have done was run up and down the bank hollerin' “man, that's cheap!!” Just about in the middle of all of this, God said to me, “ I want you to start a Cowboy Church in Chickasha”.

If you think this is a pretty strange story, it's even weirder than you think. Here I am at 54 years of age, no seminary training, and no pastoral experience what soever. I not only didn't know anything about being a Pastor or starting a church, I didn't even suspect anything about it. I had spent most of my adult life not even going to church and had just recently gotten back into church and had some experience as a Praise and Worship Leader. BUT, God said to start a church. Well, I certainly didn't know what I was doing, but I was pretty sure that God knew what HE was doing, and I was pretty sure that I should be obedient to His instructions.

So, Casey went to work as a nurse to be the breadwinner for the family, which was something new in our marriage and pretty hard on my ego. I borrowed $150 from my brother to rent a meeting room at the Best Western and run a small add in the paper. I borrowed some musicians from Bible Baptist Church to start a service on Tuesday nights and COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH was born with 85 people showing up for the first service. Going on eight years later, Casey and I have not starved to death and COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH is strong and thriving. Do you think that might be a “God Thing”?? Do you think obedience has anything to do with it??

I didn't understand what was happening at the the time, but I have since learned something about obedience. God shows us in His Word that there is a pattern to how he works and how He uses our obedience to accomplish HIS purposes. First, he speaks to His servant about what He is going to do and gives the servant instructions. Second, the servant must be obedient and THEN God will accomplish His purposes through HIS Power and unlimited resources; not the abilities and skills of the servant. When this happens, there is no doubt it was a “God Thing”!! This is the point in time that the servant and all those around him experience God's Glory and their RELATIONSHIP with God becomes very intimate!!

Is obedience all that important in this pattern?? Well, Moses was obedient in raising his staff over the red sea, but it sure wasn't him who parted the waters and liberated the Hebrew people. I was obedient when I started COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH, but it sure wasn't me who made it what it is today. My question for you today is: Are you listening and being obedient to what God is calling you to do?? How can God be Glorified and do a “God Thing” if you are not obedient?? Please release the Power of God in your life today by being obedient. You and all those around you need to see His Glory!!! ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: How much does it cost??

I pulled up to the gas pump to see “how much does it cost?” and I sure didn't like the answer. Was it worth it? Well, I guess it was because I bought $50 worth and got a half a tank. My old dodge pickup won't run without it and I didn't want to walk. Then my wife sent me to pick up some cucumbers for her so she could make some of her famous “Hot Pickles”. So I go to the grocery store and find these little pickling cucumbers. Of course I pick up one of the nicely shrink wrapped packages with six little cucumbers in it and look to see “how much does it cost”?? Are you kidding me?? $3.58 FOR SIX LITTLE CUCUMBERS!!! I can buy a whole jar of pickles for three bucks!! Were they worth it?? Probably not, but my wife told me to get them and her “hot pickles” are awfully good. So I buy about $17 worth of cucumbers to make a few jars of delicious homemade pickles. I knew they were not worth it, but then again, you ain't tasted how good Casey's “hot pickles” are either.

Well, I had enough gasoline to make it home and now I'm eating one of Casey's “hot pickles” with a Turkey sandwich. I got to thinking about John 3:16 and I wrote the following post on facebook: “JUST FOR TODAY: "God so Loved the World that he GAVE..." (John 3:16). If you want to know what surrender means, read John 3:16 and understand it's about Giving; not just a little, but everything. John 3:16 is about God's total surrender to us. Don't even talk about surrender if you don't understand John 3:16. When you do, then surrender yourself to God in the same way He gave himself for YOU.....totally, unconditionally , and without reservation”.

How much did it cost God? EVERYTHING!! Were we worth it?? Probably not, BUT aren't you thankful that God thought so?? So what's the flip side to this. What does God expect from you in this Love Relationship; how much does it cost. I think you know the answer. EVERYTHING!!! Is it worth it? I think that you know the answer to that too. God gave His ALL for us and that is what He expects from us as well. Nothing but the complete surrender of ALL not part of yourself is what it takes to satisfy the Love Relationship with God. Very costly, but nothing compared to what what is saved. I see it even more than just saving something that I already have (my own life), but also it is nothing compared to what you'll GAIN!! When you give yourself completely to God and join Him in his work of redeeming mankind, you not only save your own soul but look at all the other lives around you that will be touched and SAVED because of your Love Relationship with God. Have you ever thought about how many folks will be your neigbors in Heaven....for eternity..... because they saw Jesus in a completely sold out Love Relationship with YOU??? Yes, being a true servant of God will cost you everything and is it worth it? Well let's see; God gave us His all and in return we give Him our all. I can't help but think that we're getting way the best end of that deal. Thank you Jesus, ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: The source of Abundant Joy

I really enjoy going to see a good rodeo. Like everyone else, I enjoy the excitement and the thrill that happens every time one of those cowboys nods his head and that chute flies open; especially during the bull riding!! The bull riding is so exciting because you have the added element of increased danger. Not saying that riding broncs isn't dangerous, but bulls....well, that just takes it to a new and higher level.

I will certainly never forget my own first bull ride at a high school rodeo. It was early spring and a very cold night. You know when it's cold like that and you jump down off of a fence, it sometimes makes your ankles have a sharp pain. I remember that happening to me that night behind the chutes before I rode my bull and thinking, “man, it's sure gonna hurt my feet when I dismount off that bull tonight!!” Well, that was something I didn't really have to worry about that night because about two seconds after I nodded my head, that old bull threw me off right on top of my head!! The force of my head first landing drove my brand new “Hoss Cartwright” cowboy hat completely down over my ears AND my eyes!!! While the crowd was having a good laugh, I was on my knees trying to get that hat up off of my eyes when the thought suddenly came to me, “Where is that BULL??” Thank God for the clowns!!

Getting on a huge animal that weighs around ¾ of a ton or more and many times with a good set of horns and a nasty disposition to boot, usually strikes fear in the heart of the average person, but to the experienced bull riding cowboy it produces a tremendous thrill. Let's apply this analogy to our own lives as Christians. The things we try to avoid and fight against-trouble, suffering, and persecution- are the very things that produce abundant Joy in the life of a Christian. “We are more that conquerors through Him” “IN all of these things”; not in spite of them, but right in the smack dab middle of them!! A Christian doesn't know the the Joy of the Lord in spite of tribulation, but because of it. Paul said, “I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Corinthians 7:4)

That radiant look that you see in the eyes a Christian, which is the result of Joy, is not built on anything passing. It is built on the everlasting Love of God that NOTHING can ever change!! And the every day life experiences that we encounter whether boring or terrifying have no power what soever to “separate us from the Love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39)

Not matter what you are facing, my prayer for you today is that you will remember that NOTHING can ever separate you from the Love of God and to “fear not” for He “is always with you”. I pray that you will realize that all the troubles and problems of this world are temporary and that true JOY comes only “through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37). Well....it's time to give life the nod of your head and open the chute of life!! May the JOY of the Lord be your strength, ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Get dressed and eat your breakfast!!

I can still hear my mother's words ringing in my ears, “get dressed and get in here; breakfast is almost ready”. When I heard those words, you know it didn't take me long to get around. I'm kind of a morning person anyway and I always wake up hungry. Imagine that!?! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and my mother always made, every day, exactly what I wanted....BISCUITS & GRAVY!!! Yes siree; my mother always made those big ole homemade cat-head biscuits and and the best gravy you ever lapped a lip on. Add to that some form of hog meat and a country boy's day started off just right. My mother had an old Missouri word she used to describe her breakfast; It was Laripin!! That's pronounced Lair-u-pun and it means Delicious with a capital “D”!! I'm here to tell ya, the “breakfast of champions” did NOT come in a bowl of cereal!!

You may not be a morning person and you may not even like breakfast, but most people do start their day by clothing themselves and partaking of some sort of nutrition to get themselves going. We leave our homes in the morning fully dressed and nourish our physical bodies because we know that's what we need to do to have a successful day. And yet many times we start our day with our mind naked and our Spirit starving. I wish folks would learn that their Spiritual life controls their Emotional and Physical life. Our lives would be so much better if we would start our day by seeking the face of Jesus. This practice allows us to “clothe” our mind and “wear” Jesus all day long. The sooner you put Jesus on by communicating with Him, the better that your day is going to go.

To “wear Jesus” basically means to have His mind and to be thinking HIS thoughts. We also need to ask the Holy Spirit to feed our starving mind and control our thinking. This is what Paul was talking about when he spoke of being transformed and renewed from within. This process will make you well equipped to be able to handle anything that people or circumstances may bring your way. Clothing your mind with Jesus and Feeding your Soul with His Holy Spirit is the best preparation you can have to start your day. This discipline will not only bring PEACE and JOY into your life, but also into the lives of those around you.

My prayer for you today is that you will always start your day communicating with Jesus; clothing your mind with His Presence and His thoughts. I pray you will have a wonderful Spiritual breakfast and feed your Soul with His “laripin” HOLY SPIRIT!! If you start your day in this manner, you will surely find that God will guide and protect your footsteps all the day long. Praise the Lord and please pass the biscuits!!! ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: The edge crumbles easily
   When I was a young boy, I loved to roam up and down the canyons of Bill's Creek on the East side of Highway 277 across from where I lived. It was such great adventure to go squirrel hunting with my trusty old Western Field single shot .22 rifle and a pocket full of .22 shorts. My daddy wouldn't let me have the .22 long rifle shells that I longed for. He was afraid that I might bring something down other than a squirrel so I had to be satisfied with what I had in my pockets. Most of the time I stayed down in the Canyon and walked along the creek. There was something about walking along the water and looking up those canyon walls and into the big oak trees that was so majestic and thrilling. No great white hunter in darkest Africa had more fun and adventure than I had back in those days.

 I remember one time when I was not down in the canyon, but walking along the rim up above. I got a little careless as sometimes a young boy will do, and I got to close to the edge. The sandy edge crumbled under my my feet and down I went, trusty rifle and all to the bottom of the steep canyon. I still remember the fear and the pain of trying to climb back out of that canyon with a sprained ankle. I learned a good lesson that day about not getting too close to the edge.

We must all be on guard about getting to close to steep canyon walls and the deep pits that life sometimes puts in our path. One of the most dangerous traps that Satan uses is the pit of self-pity. Especially when we are weary or suffering illness. Don't even go near the edge of this pit because it crumbles very easily, and before you know it you are on the way down. The pit of self-pity is very, very hard to climb out of, so it is much better to keep a safe distance than to fall in to it.

There are several ways to protect yourself from self-pity. For one thing, if you spend your time being Thankful and Praising the Lord, it is impossible to feel sorry for yourself. And if you really want to put some distance between you and the pity pit, just stay focused on Jesus by “fixing your eyes upon Him” and being obedient. This is how you stay in the Light of His Presence. Then you will be able “to run with endurance the race that is set before you, without stumbling or falling” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

The pit of self-pity is one of those things where an ounce of prevention is worth much more than a pound of cure. It's very hard to climb out of that old pit once you ever fall into it. So my prayer for you today is that you will “enter into His gate with Thanksgiving and in to His court with Praise!!” You will feel a whole lot better and others will not have to endure listening to you whine and complain. Praise God and pass the .22 shorts; Don't biscuits, gravy, and fried squirrel sound good!!! Have a blessed day, ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: What resource do you Trust?

 Here awhile back, I was sent on an errand to pick up one of my grand kids from school. Now Dorian is five years old goin' on twenty-five and he is quite a character. Like most five year old boys, he is pretty good at gettin' what he wants from his Paw Paw. This particular day, he wanted to go to Braums after school for ice cream. So I asked him, “do you have any money?” He scrunched up his face and looked at me like I was crazy. Then he admitted, “No, I don't have any money”. “Well, why don't you have any money, Dorian?”, I asked and he just shrugged his shoulders at me. To me, that's never a very good answer. So I told him, “I'll tell ya why you don't have any money; you don't have a job! And if ya don't have any money, then ya can't have any ice cream!!”. Well, that answer didn't set very will with him so he just sat there in the truck with a disgusted look on his face. That didn't last very long and pretty soon I saw this big old ornery grin light up his face. Then with that sparkle in his eye that only comes from a brilliant idea, he looked back up at me and said.........”Paw Paw, …....YOU have a job!!” Well, I guess you know the rest of the story by now. Me and Dorian went to Braums and Paw Paw sprung for the ice cream.

Dorian is only five years old, but he was smart enough to figure out where his best resource was to get what he wanted and he was not one bit bashful about asking for it either. I hope that you adults are smart enough to figure out where I'm going with this. Who do you think has the resources that you need to give you the things that you want and need? Who created all things and is in control of all resources? Who owns all the cattle on a thousand hills?? Almighty God has more than enough resources to take care of ALL our needs. He only stipulates that you first seek Him and His Kingdom and then all of these other things shall be added unto you. The Bibles tells us to knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find, ask and it shall be given to you. How long has it been since you knocked, or seeked, or asked God for anything?? When are we going to finally figure out that we have not because we ask not.

My prayer for you today is that you will realize that God is where all of your resources come from and that you will start to Trust Him completely for all of your needs; Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical. Your circumstances will change drastically if you will just run to the Throne instead of running to the phone. You just might be one of those people who cries out to God, “Please help me, Lord. I'm at the end of all of my resources!!” God will answer back, “Don't worry my child. You are just at the beginning of mine!!” So “don't be afraid and let not your heart be troubled.......” The ice cream is on the way!!! ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Hear the instruction of thy Father!

    What do you get when you cross a parrot with a Tiger? I don't know....but when it talks, you better listen. This old joke reminds me of my father, L. M. Walker. He was a pretty quiet man most of the time. He worked hard and minded his own business. But when he did say something, you better sure 'nuff pay attention. Especially if you happen to be his son. He did not tolerate disrespect or disobedience. I guess being raised in that manner, I tended to raise my own children in the same way. Should a father expect absolute and immediate obedience from his children? I'm sure there are various opinions on the subject, but my oldest daughter, Holly, just celebrated her 36^th birthday this month, and she wouldn't be here today if she had not heard and obeyed the instructions of her father.
    When she was a little girl, about three or four years old, we were living in Ardmore, Oklahoma and they had just built a new McDonald's there. We pulled in and parked on the East side of the building. Holly and her older brother, Travis, were very excited about the prospect of getting a burger and possibly some ice cream. When Holly exited the old '74 Grand Torino, she bolted down the north side of the car heading for the entrance to her favorite eating establishment. She could not see and was not looking for any danger, but I saw a young man pull into the South entrance and he was hot rodding his souped up muscle car through the parking lot. I was instantly terrified. I could not get to her in time, so all I could do was yell one single command to her........STOP!!! It all happened so fast! She locked up like a bird dog on point, and the speeding car whizzed harmlessly in front of her as she stood at the very rear end of our vehicle. My heart was about to jump out of my chest, but my daughter was safe. I remember picking her up and holding her so tight and thanking God that she was alive and unharmed!
    The Word of God says in Proverbs 1:8 ~ “....hear the instruction of thy father.....”. There are many parents today that have not taught their children to listen to them. You see them all the time chasing their kids around yelling, “come here.....stop that....come here.....you better stop that....” and on and on and on. And the kid just keep on going and doing what ever it is he wants to do. This is not only annoying, but it is downright dangerous as well. The moral of the story is that children should be taught to listen and obey their parents. That being said, what about you? Are you listening to your Heavenly Father?
    Now we all have problems and no one escapes them, but if your life is a total wreck and you are miserable with the way your life has turned out, chances are you have not been listening to Father God. All of mankind dreams up ways of living that seem right to them, but if they are contrary to the Word of God, they will lead to destruction!! The good news is that God can restore the years that the locust have eaten. In other words, it's never to late to start listening to your Heavenly Father and start living a life of Protection and Peace. Don't put it off; start listening to Him today, and He will start watching out for the the speeding disasters in your life. All things are possible with God. Blessings, ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Wait and Listen!!

Do you ever think back to when you were a kid and realize how much trouble you caused yourself by not listening to your Daddy? There's a lot more to the words “Father knows best” than just the title of an old TV show! Seems like every time I didn't listen to my Daddy I wound up getting' hurt.

I remember one time goin' coon huntin' with my Daddy when I was a little boy. I took off running in the dark ahead of my Daddy in the woods. Just about the time I heard him holler "WAIT", a low tree limb caught me right between the eyes! My feet went up in the air over my head and the first thing to hit the ground was the back of my head! The next morning I looked like one of the critters that me and them dogs was chasin'.

Another time, when I was about twelve years old, I had saved up a little money, and it just so happened that OTASCO got in a shipment of old army surplus British Infield .303 rifles. I couldn't afford a Winchester or Remington deer rifle, but these babies were on sale for about $12.50!!! I marched in there and plopped down my hard earned $15 or so for one of those rifles and a box or two of ammo. When I got it home, I proceeded to “sporterize” my new treasure to make it look like a real deer rifle; I started removing all the old wood that went all the way to the end of the barrel; this would not only look better but it would also make it lighter. Pretty smart, huh? My Daddy told me, “boy, that wood is on there for a reason. You might not ought to take that off.” But....I didn't listen and I took it off anyway. Of course then I found out the hard way why it was on there. I found me something to shoot at and I rapidly fired a whole clip of ammo through that old rifle. As I started to set my rifle down and lean it up against a tree, I made the mistake of grabbing it by the barrel. Those old rifle barrels were pretty thin and when you fired that high powered ammo through it in a hurry, it gets really, really HOT!!! All that wood on the barrel allowed a soldier to fire the rifle continuously and still be able to carry it without getting' burned!! I blistered the palm of my right hand and all four fingers real bad because I didn't heed my Daddy's warning.

Failure, black eyes, and burned fingers were a sure sign of my impatience, not knowing my own limitations, and not listening to my Daddy. The moral to these stories is: Don't take off running if your Daddy says to wait, and don't go through with your own plans if Daddy says not to do it. If you act on impulse or “feeling” you will get tangled up in difficult and dangerous situations. In other words, don't run before God gives you His direction, and you will have much less heartache and disappointment in your life. If there is any doubt.........WAIT. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can direct the course of your life successfully!! ~Pastor Lynn
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FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Adjust your life to God's calling

 When the Lord put it on my heart to start COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH a little over seven years ago, I had more than a few concerns about obeying God in this endevor. At the time, I was a Praise and Worship Leader; I was not a preacher, and I certainly was not a Pastor. I not only didn't know anything about these things, I didn't even suspect what I was gettin' myself into!! I was sure that God knew what He was doin', but I just wasn't sure if I did.

 I have discovered that the problem of obeying God did not lie in my lack of knowledge or experience. The problem lay in my willingness to make the necessary adjustments in my life in order to obey God in what He had called me to do. If you beleive that you are called by God to do something or that He is giving you an assignment, there is no way that you can go straight from beleiving God to obeying God without making major adjustments in your life.

  When God puts a clear calling on your life, the mental decision that this is happening is easy. The hard part is making adjustments in your life to God and taking action that demonstrates your Faith. Like me, you may be called to do something that only God can accomplish! Before I started COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH, I pretty much only attempted what I knew that I could accomplish on my own, but when God gives you a God Sized assignment, major adjusments in your life will be required.

 Why is that? Luke 14:33 "Any of you who does not give up everthing he has cannot be my disciple." Will God really ask you to make such drastic adjustments in your life for him? The answer is absolutely YES!! God is interested in your absolute surrender to Him. If you won't surrender to him, you cannot be obedient and He cannot use you!!

 God may not call you to start a church, but He will call you to serve him in some God sized project that may be way different from anything you ever dreamed. You may have to make adjustments in your circumstances, your relationships, your thinking, your commitments, your actions, and even what you beleive just to name a few. Just remember that God Loves you and His will for your life is always best!! Any adjustment God expects you to make is for your own good. If you will make the adjusments in your life to be obedient to God, it won't be long until you'll be singing, "I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now!!". May God bless you richly, ~Pastor Lynn

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Faith, Hope, and Charity

FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: The Mystery of being “Born Again”!!

 I like a good Mystery, don't you---A good whodunit movie on TV that keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering who the culprit really is, or a good novel that you can't put down for wanting to know how it's going to end?? It seems that mankind has always wanted to know the mysteries of life. Many times we are not satisfied just knowing the way things are; We want to know WHY things are the way they are!
  That is why Nicodemus, a pharisee and ruler of the Jews, came by night to see Jesus. Nicodemus knew that Jesus was a great teacher come from God because of all the miracles Jesus had done. He wanted Jesus to teach him about the mysteries of life and WOW, did he get his money's worth. Jesus unloaded on old Nicodemus and told him of the greatest mystery ever revealed to mankind. In John 3:3 Jesus told him,”....Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”!!
  Does that statement raise some questions in your mind? It certainly did for Nicodemus. He asked Jesus, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?”. Legitimate questions I'd say! What a mystery! But when you are asking questions to the Son of God, you are bound to get some pretty profound answers.
    Jesus answered Nicodemus with this, “Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.” What in the world does all this mean? Well, it's really pretty simple if you understand that most of the ways that God works are completely opposite to the ways of the World. Being born of water, or born into this world means that your mother's water breaks and you “come out” of your mother's womb. But to be born of the Spirit, and come into the kingdom of God there is no “coming out” involved in this birth; the Holy Spirit must “come in” to YOU!!!
   Oswald Chambers wrote the best description I've ever read explaining the great mystery of being “born again”---”The gift of the essential nature of God is placed and made effective in us by the Holy Spirit. He imparts to us the quickening life of Jesus, making us truly alive. He takes that which is "beyond" us and places it "within" us. And immediately, once "the beyond" has come "within", it rises up to "the above", and we are lifted into the kingdom where Jesus lives and reigns!” (see John 3:5) How wonderful, now the mystery is solved!! But wait..... this just explains what has to happen. How do we make it happen?? Can we buy this, can we win it, can we earn this or work for it, can we get born again by being “good enough”?? Another great Mystery!!! Well, tune in next week and we will talk about it, or you can cheat a little and read John 3:16 and solve the mystery for yourself. Nothing solves a good mystery like the Revelation of God's Word. ~Pastor Lynn

 FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: What is a missionary?

My wife, Casey, just recently returned from her third missionary trip to Africa. She was invited to speak at Epworth Methodist Church's “Something Worth While” to share her experiences and talk about foreign missions. She also showed a DVD from her 2010 trip to Africa that shows what missionaries DO. They spend their own money and money they can gather up from other people; then they go half way around the world to try and meet the needs of people in a foreign land. And their needs are enormous; Spiritually, Emotionally, and Physically.  
   These folks are poor beyond comprehension for most of us who live in the USA. They are in very short supply of just about everything that we take for granted back here in the states. Casey said that her first trip to Africa made her feel actually guilty for having such abundance when they had so little. The people are hungry, so the missionaries feed them. The people are naked, so the missionaries clothe them. The people are sick, so the missionaries bring medicine and heal them. Malaria, which is practically nonexistent in the US, is still the number one killer in Africa. That is why the treated mosquito nets are so important.
   Emotionally, they have many of the same problems that we all cope with; Fear, anger, unforgiveness, hate.....Like some of you, they have a hard time even understanding why a bunch of crazy white people come half way around the world to try to help them. They don't spend a lot of time trying to help other folks because they do no have enough but to barely survive for themselves. Slowly but surely, they are learning about helping others.
   Spiritually, the missionaries are telling them and showing them through their actions about Jesus. This is of course the number one objective of all of this. Just as in our own lives, if we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus and we are strong Spiritually, the Spiritual realm will take care of the Emotional and Physical realm.
    This pretty much covers what a missionary does, but that does not tell you what a Missionary IS. What a missionary does is just the effect of who and what they are. What is a Missionary? John 20:21 says it very clear, “Jesus said to them again,......As the Father has sent ME, I also send YOU”. Plain and simple, a Missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ just as He was sent by god. The great controlling factor here is not the needs of the people, but the command of Jesus which is found in Matthew 28:19 ~”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations....”. We have to be very careful to always remember this because sometime, as Casey says, “we feel like we are putting a band-aid on a compound fracture”. Sometimes our human sympathy for the needs of these people overwhelms the true meaning of why we were sent into foreign missions.
   The food we bring will eventually be gone. The clothes will eventually be gone, too. The treated nets will eventually become ineffective and the other medicine we bring will be gone as well. BUT....there is one thing that will NEVER be gone, and that is the Presence and Love of God; brought and left behind by the Divine guidance of God through childlike people who were “foolish” enough to Trust God's wisdom and obey His commandment to Go!!
   What is a Missionary? Nothing more than an obedient servant of the Lord Jesus. If you have any questions or would like a free DVD copy of the African Mission Trip, please call me or Casey at 405-320-0055 or 405-453-7141, or better still, come visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH, 4092 Norge Road, Chickasha, OK. Have a Blessed day, ~Pastor Lynn

FROMTHE PASTOR'S PORCH: One Soul at a Time!!

Manychurches in this day and age are not growing; worse than that, some
are even losing ground; they are shrinking and dieing. Why is that? The world today is not attracted to the Christ we serve because they are not seeing Him at work in our lives. They look at today's church and say, “oh, they do a few good things for the community, but that's not for me”. The world is turning away from the church because they don't want to get involved with what they see going on
in most churches, or lack of what should be going on in our churches. Maybe we are just letting the world see US when we should be letting the world see and encounter GOD Himself through us.

If our churches will let the world watch God at work, then He will attract people to Himself!! We must stop just talking the talk; we have got to start walking the walk!! When the world starts seeing the difference the living Christ makes in a single life, a single family, and a single church, then and only then will you start seeing people responding to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and showing up at your church. When the world starts seeing things happening in our Churches that can only be explained by the Presence of God Himself, that is when you will start seeing the church parking lots filling up. The world is not drawn to a church to see other people; we can see people anywhere. But the world WILL be drawn to the church where they see God in action through His people, not just the people bythemselves.

Jesus tells us to pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers. If we truly want to see a move of God in our churches, it absolutely, positively MUST start with Prayer. If you will earnestly pray for God to send more workers for the Harvest, you will be absolutely amazed at what will happen. God will begin to engineer the circumstances of your life to where YOU will become that worker!!
The growing, thriving church is not built on the personality of the preacher, or great music, or anything else that people are able to do by themselves. What matters is what GOD is able to do through YOU. A healthy, growing church is a God-Sized assignment for you that canonly be accomplished by God working through YOU!!!

This coming Sunday morning, I am going to challenge every single person at
COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH to lead one person to the Lord Jesus between
now and the first of the year. Just one person; one soul to Jesus. You know what they're gonna say?? Where are we gonna put them?? That would make our church grow to over 300 people!!! Well, that's what makes this a God-Sized challenge! We will just have to Trust God to provide a place to put them won't we? How about your Church? I want to make this same challenge to everyone reading this article. I don't care where you go to church, God wants to see God-Sized things happening in ALL of his churches. Is doubling the size of your
church impossible?? Well...yes it is without God. But so was Moses crossing the Red Sea on dry land and getting water out of a rock. So was Joshua crossing the Jordan River in flood stage. So was Shadrack, Meshack, and Abednego surviving the fire of the furnace. So was going to all nations making disciples and baptizing them in the name of Jesus for the first followers of Christ. Remember, ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WITH GOD!! I Pray for your success in meeting this
challenge. God and the folks who sell building supplies are gonna Love you for it!! May the Good Lord richly bless you, ~Pastor Lynn